The most visible software development companies in Germany, October 2026

October 2026 · 15 questions asked from Germany in German and English · ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, Gemini and Google AI Mode · 60 answers read

Leader

ELEKS

21Heralded Score, range 1–48

Most cited source

youtube.com

8citations

From Google AI Overviews

Where engines disagree most

Not compared

No engine has a top three yet.

Brands

Rank Brand Rank change Heralded Score All AI Search Score trend Mentioned Recommended By engine Mentioned by Change
– SoftServe Unranked Too few answers Not measured 0= #19
–
  • : Unranked
0% 0% None First reading
– Spaceteams Unranked Too few answers Not measured 0= #19
–
  • : Unranked
1% 1% None First reading
– SSI Group PH Unranked Too few answers Not measured 0= #19
–
  • : Unranked
1% 0% None First reading
– STRV CZ Unranked Too few answers Not measured 10= #8
–
  • : Unranked
1% 1% None First reading
– STX Next PL Unranked Too few answers Not measured 1#18
–
  • : Unranked
0% 0% None First reading
– SuMth Unranked Too few answers Not measured 0= #19
–
  • : Unranked
1% 1% None First reading
– Thoughtworks US Unranked Too few answers Not measured 0= #19
–
  • : Unranked
1% 0% None First reading
– Toptal US Unranked Too few answers Not measured 42#3
–
  • : Unranked
6% 3% None First reading
– Tremend RO Unranked Too few answers Not measured 0= #19
–
  • : Unranked
0% 0% None First reading
– Uptech UA Unranked Too few answers Not measured 0= #19
–
  • : Unranked
1% 1% None First reading

“=” marks brands whose score ranges overlap, so the test cannot separate them. Every brand named in at least three answers is ranked. AI and Search give each brand’s score and rank on that side alone. By engine has one dot per engine (ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, Gemini and Google AI Mode), darker the more often it names the brand.

Most cited sources

Rank Source Type Cited in Engines Pages cited Brands its pages mention
11 appmaster.io Vendor site 3.3% 1 of 4 2 Not read
12 blackthorn-vision.com Consultancy 3.3% 2 of 4 1 2
13 codeninety.com Consultancy 3.3% 1 of 4 1 1
14 daily.dev Media 3.3% 2 of 4 1 Not read
15 fullstack.com Consultancy 3.3% 2 of 4 1 Not read
16 goodfirms.co Review site 3.3% 2 of 4 2 Not read
17 gradion.com Consultancy 3.3% 1 of 4 2 Not read
18 ihk-muenchen.de Regulator 1.7% 1 of 4 2 Not read
19 ihk.de Regulator 1.7% 1 of 4 2 Not read
20 reddit.com Community 3.3% 1 of 4 2 Not read

Questions asked

QuestionLanguageMost recommended
best software development companies for startups English Designli, Geniusee, RaftLabs, Toptal, Uptech and Vention, tied
custom software development outsourcing English No brand recommended
how to choose a software development partner English No brand recommended
how much does custom software development cost English No brand recommended
nearshore vs offshore software development English No brand recommended

Each engine's top three

Google AI Mode

No brand named in at least three answers.

Gemini

No brand named in at least three answers.

Google AI Overviews

No brand named in at least three answers.

ChatGPT

No brand named in at least three answers.

Method

Each leaderboard ranks brands on two sides. AI is how ChatGPT, Gemini, Google AI Overviews and Google AI Mode answer the board's buyer questions. Search is Google's top 10 results for the keywords behind those questions. All combines the two, where Search is measured.

For the AI side, each month Heralded asks every engine the same buyer questions, twice each, and reads every answer. An answer counts 0 for a brand it leaves out, 50 for a brand it names and 100 for a brand it recommends, and the Heralded Score is built from those. A brand named in at least three answers gets a score and a place.

How the leaderboards are measured